Horses, cattle, and other livestock are commonly transported from one location to another in specially constructed trailers which include sidewalls, roofs, floor decking structures, and loading gates or doors. The dimensions and features of these trailers vary widely depending on the type of livestock to be transported and the specific end uses for which the trailers are designed. For example, horse trailers range from single horse, standard hitch trailers, to multi-horse, goose-neck trailers that include living quarters for equestrians.
The sidewall structures of many livestock trailers are formed with panels supported by and welded to posts emending upwardly from the floor decking structures. However, difficulties have been encountered with even the most advanced sidewall panel constructions. The sidewalls are commonly assembled by welding a plurality of panels to upright posts. Frequently, water seeps into the trailer at the connections between adjacent panels, and heat generated while welding heats the panels to the extent that their exterior surfaces are discolored by oxidation. Additionally, the panels are preferably made from aluminum making it difficult to insulate the trailers.
Another problem is encountered with reliability of the welds between the panels and the upright posts. If an insufficient amount of material is provided by the panels for the weld connection, the attachment material can melt away or insufficient penetration is made into the attachment material while trying to keep from melting the attachment material away. Further, the livestock being transported in the trailers will kick the sidewalls. Unfortunately, the animals are strong enough to dent the panels and occasionally break the weld connections between the panels and the upright posts. To inhibit damage from kicking, kick plates are sometimes attached to the inner side of the sidewalls. However, their attachment is undesirably difficult because of the preferred non-planar configuration of the panel walls.